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Friday, April 12, 2013

Divya and Andrew's American Celebration

I recently had the pleasure of styling an event for Divya and Andrew, a New York City based couple, whose love affair has taken them around the world. Their fairytale romance includes not one, but two, dreamy weddings—one in India and another smack dab in the middle of the US ! When I first spoke with Divya over the phone, she and Andrew had just returned from their multiple-day Indian wedding celebration. Divya’s dear friend, who just happens to be a Bollywood producer, planned all of the events with a swoon-worthy amount of fabric and floral that is simply unrivaled in the US. The Indian wedding truly had it all—except some American friends and family who could not make the trip.

Never fear, Andrew's mother DJ was planning a second celebration back on US soil. Andrew’s sister, Kate, is one of my dear friends from law school. Since I virtually hijacked the planning of Kate’s wedding a few years back (coming soon to my Flashback Friday series), DJ knew who to call for help!

DJ had already reserved the Colonel Bolton Home, a picturesque historic home with a quaint white barn on the property. She hoped that I could give her some floral ideas. Immediately sensing that any floral we could produce would pale in comparison to the celebrations in India, I suggested that we nix expensive floral arrangements in favor of rustic American decor! I began dreaming of bunting, party lights, sparklers, mason jars, apples and burlap. Not only have these items been on trend the past few years, they were just perfect for a barn wedding as American as apple pie.

With Andrew and Divya in New York, DJ in Jefferson City and me here in St. Louis, we began a series of phone calls and emails to find out the couple’s desires for their big day as well as the constraints of pulling everything together from three cities. I integrated the information from our communications into a vision board. Divya not only embraced the ideas, she got into the act and started on-line shopping for all of the items. We quickly realized that the cost of shipping items from multiple stores was too steep and, frankly, confusing. Thus, my “Teamwork” Package was born. I shopped my wholesalers and usual sources for décor, adding some handcrafted details and gave the whole box as a kit to the family along with instructions for how to put it all together. The kit included burlap runners, rustic french pots, worn tool boxes planters, and small details (Spanish moss, bunting to adorn the tool boxes,and even the rafia to tie on the mason jars). The couple assembled the components the day before the wedding with charming results. Click on the collage below for a few sneak peaks from their big day(I am awaiting the photographers' pictures):

Thanks to DJ, Divya, and Andrew for allowing me to be a part of their special day!

About Me

Hi, I am S. Long ago I planned to study social work, get a law degree, and marry a fellow professional when I graduated. We were supposed to effortlessly have two awesome careers, save the world, and a make family. I did most of that--I have a bachelors and masters in social work, married my law school sweetheart, worked for a decade as a children's advocacy attorney, and we do have two precious girls!! To my surprise, my career is mostly a SAHM and most days all I try to "save" is my own sanity! For two decades I have been a near professional volunteer in addition to my actual work. I briefly tried to be an "event stylist." I am currently using this blog to help me figure out my next big plan.